


It Takes Time to Find a Home

by Muffinmadness



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga), Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Gift Fic, M/M, Magic, Past Abuse, Personal Growth, Time Travel, Timey-Wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:07:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28273596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muffinmadness/pseuds/Muffinmadness
Summary: Zora can't understand why he keeps running into Hisoka, or why Hisoka keeps finding him, but he is sure as hell going to find out.
Relationships: Hisoka Morow/Zora Ideale
Kudos: 11





	1. In the Forest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [themadnovelist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/themadnovelist/gifts).



Hisoka stiffened and dropped the dagger his first would-be-assassin had been wielding. Someone was watching him. It wasn't a new feeling - he made a point of standing out wherever he went - but this time, it was different; whoever it was had _power._

He licked his lips and pulled his card from the neck of the man who had tried to strangle him, chuckling when his body twitched and slid down the tree to the forest floor.

"I know you're there," he purred. "Why don't you come out to play? It'll be fun, I promise."

Zora jumped down from the branches and landed lightly on the forest floor before chuckling. "You have a strange idea of fun," he told the redhead, spreading his arms wide as he looked around at the devastation. "I like it, but what did they do to deserve this?" 

By the time he'd realised that he'd made it through the portal safely and landed in the tree, he'd spotted at least four bodies. A few were missing limbs, and all four were very clearly dead. As he'd oriented himself and adjusted to his new surroundings, he'd watched as three more had fallen to the all too familiar man with the cards. "Did they insult your dress sense?"

Hisoka smirked and took in his new playmates studded leather jeans, apparently random assortment of belts and bare chest. The shoulder coverings were an interesting touch, but the thing that stood out above everything else was his choice of mask.

He was back, and he'd decided to keep his present.

"Tell me, did the teeth come with the gimp-suit or were you already part-shark?" he asked and delighted when the man's grin widened. He'd missed this.

"The corset," Zora countered. "Do you like looking like a woman or are you scared that people are going to realise how fat you really are?"

Hisoka laughed and held his arms out for a hug. "It's been too long. I've missed you."

"Yeah," Zora agreed, embracing Hisoka as only an old friend could. "I missed you too."


	2. Before Zora's Exam

Hisoka hadn't anticipated the dimensional rift opening as he'd jumped from the top of the Zeppelin, nor had he anticipated landing on the hard dirt of what appeared to be some kind of battle-field. But, he supposed that it was better than landing on top of a sleeping Isaac Nettero. Less entertaining, for sure, but still, in the grand scheme of things, better. 

People didn't know who he was here, for a start, which meant that he had the perfect opportunity to- 

There was movement behind him. The ground had been kind enough to break his fall instead of his bones, and he moaned delightedly as he pushed himself to his feet. Two sprained wrists, a twisted ankle and - he stretched - bruising to at least fifty per cent of his body. It was going to be a good day.

Zora looked up from placing his final trap when the sound of something heavy and - judging by the groan - human, met his ears. Following the increasing - and curiously erotic - sounds to their source, he discovered a man who looked like a clown had mated with a jester and left behind an incredibly confused love-child to be raised by wolves. 

"You here for the exam?" he asked, cocking his head when the man snapped one of his fingers back into place and let out an audible groan of delight. "Because I should warn you, the Knights really don't take kindly to masochists." He seemed strangely familiar, and he resisted the urge to scratch at his face. There was something about the eyes...and those tattoos...

Hisoka flexed his fingers again and cracked his back. Everything seemed to be in working order. 

"That's good," Hisoka replied. "Because I've never been a fan of people who get above their station." He brushed at his cheek. This couldn't be the same guy? "But time-travelling vigilantes, now they're right up my alley."

There, he'd set the bait. If it were the same guy - the one who'd freed him of his father - he'd react. If it wasn't, well... He felt the packet of gum rustle in his pocket and adjusted his wrist bands - he'd have to find whoever was running around and making all these damned portals then ask them a few pointed questions. Namely, whether alternate realities exist and, if so, why they were such a bitch?

***

"Wait," Zora said, spluttering as he tried to swallow his Soju. "The kid just _walked up to you_ after you did _that?_ Is he insane?"

"No, but he does appear to have a _wonderful_ streak of psychopathy to him," Hisoka purred. "I can't _wait_ to see whether he passes or not."

"But you'd sliced a man's arms off," Zora pointed out. "What kind of kid thinks that's cool- Well, I would have, but my point still stands. I'm not exactly 'normal'."

Hisoka took in the man's masked face, pointy teeth and painted eyes, before mentally counting every stud on his body. "You don't say."

"I know, right?" Zora agreed. "You wouldn't think it to look at me, but I was actually a sweet kid. Shy, kind, innocent; I wouldn't have said boo to a goose." He took another large swig of his drink. "If the bastards had let him be..."

He shook his head. "Anyway, you look familiar. "The," Zora waved at his face. "The paint and the eyes... By the way, you're gonna have to give me the name of your stylist. I've never been able to get my hair to stay up after a certain length without _way_ too much product."

Hisoka chuckled. "The key's bungee-gum," he said, ignoring the first half of the man's question. He still hadn't worked out if he was the same guy."

"Bungee-what-now?" Zora asked, tilting his head. "You're gonna have to say that again, but in Common. Because unless you're like Old Yammi and decided to escape Hino, then I'm gonna presume you're drunk."

Hisoka looked down at his Sake. He'd barely finished his second shot. "What can I say?" Hisoka retorted and winked suggestively. "I'm a cheap date."

Zora snorted and narrowly avoided spraying his drink over them both. Hisoka took note of the fact that the five men behind them at the bar all flashed them the same disapproving frown. 

"Do you know where I can get one of those purple cloaks?" he asked Zora once the man was capable of speech.

"Why the hell would you want one of them?" Zora asked, pointedly refusing to turn around.

Hisoka looked affronted. "Why _wouldn't_ I want one? Have you _seen_ them? They're _fabulous!_ Besides, purple suits me."

 _You really aren't from around here, are you?_ Zora thought, hearing the scraping of barstools across the floor. "As a matter of fact," he said, taking a moment to reinforce the full-body counter trap that he kept in place for times just like these. 

A hand landed on his shoulder, and he grinned. "I think I might be able to get my hands on a few; just give me a couple of minutes."

Hisoka's eyes lit with mischief, and he attached his gum to a free chair behind the blonde who was approaching Zora from his blindside. "I look forward to it."

***

"So," Hisoka said, dabbing at his lip with the back of his hand and licking at the blood that was left there. The tavern brawl had been amusing, and the two cloaks that had survived fit them exceptionally well. "What were you doing in a field in the middle of the night, anyway? You mentioned something about an exam?"

"Yeah, for the Royal Guard," Zora said, realising that they'd both somehow drifted back to where they'd met. "It's happening here. I was setting up for my fight tomorrow."

"Oh, now _that_ I'd pay to see," Hisoka replied. "You're aura's..." He licked his lips, tasted blood and moaned. " _So strong._ "

Zora laughed. "You are a cheap date, but if I let you distract me, I could end up losing and you wouldn't want to see that now, would you?"

Hisoka's grin turned wicked. "It depends if I get to be the one who's beating you."

"Down boy," Zora teased. "I might start to get the wrong impression."

"Or the right one," Hisoka said, winking. "What kind of fight is it anyway? Who do you have to kill?"

"Kill? No one," Zora replied. "I have to beat them. They can't learn their lessons if they're dead."

Hisoka yawned. "That sounds boring. You want to prove you're worthy of this 'Royal Guard', but you don't even get to kill your opponents? What kind of Royalty lets their enemies live?"

"The kind that gets off on reminding the peasants where their place is and how 'lucky' they are," Zora grumbled.

"And you want to work for them, why?" Hisoka asked, edging towards an interesting looking circle on the floor.

Zora flashed Hisoka a wicked grin. "Someone once told me that if I wanted to be stronger, I needed to punch above my weight."

"I knew it!" Hisoka cried. "I knew it was you-" He felt a tug on his leg and looked down. "Shit," he said and disappeared. 

Zora blinked. "That wasn't one of mine." There was a blue glow on the floor and a distinct lack of Hisoka Morow in the field. It had only ever happened once before in his life, and that man had sworn before he'd disappeared too. Maybe they really had been the same guy?

***

Illumi stepped out of his bathroom and blinked. "Hisoka?" 

"Ah! Illumi!" Hisoka declared. "You'll never guess where I've just been!"

"Probably not," Illumi replied. "But why are you in my bedroom and," he tilted his head. "Why are you wearing a purple cloak?"


	3. In the Clover Kingdom's Graveyard

Zora wiped at his eyes and looked down at the doll in his hand. It shouldn't have been like this. They shouldn't have- He whipped his head around at the mention of his Father's name. There were Magic Knight's here?

He edged towards a tree so that he could listen without being spotted; he held his breath. These men had known his father; they were Magic Knights too, maybe they would know what to do next?

***

Hisoka had been following the big guy for nearly half an hour now, and he _still_ hadn't done anything interesting. His aura was easily into the nineties, but every time anyone said anything inappropriate to him, he just laughed. He was beginning to wonder if the guy was mentally all there when he turned a corner and headed into a graveyard. Wondering if he was walking into a trap, or whether the change of scenery would explain the man's strange mood, Hisoka followed.

The stranger reminded him of Uvogin; all bluster and laughs until, he suspected, things got serious and then... He bit his lip to hold in the moan; _then_ things would get fun. The problem was that the man didn't seem to care about _anything_. Even Illumi cared about his family. This guy though... Hisoka shook his head. Maybe following people with cloaks was a stupid idea after all? Perhaps he should have-

He rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. Every hair on his body stood up, and his heart _hammered_ in his chest. That aura... He had to concentrate to think through his instinctual lust. He _had_ to find the source. He couldn't let anyone get to them before he-

Someone was crying. It was a quiet, defeated kind of sob; the sort that came along with the shattering of innocence and the dispelling of illusions. Hisoka knew it well. So had the man that had first given him his marks- He held his hand to his cheek.

Most people thought that his star and tear were there because of a childish love of the circus. They assumed they were created with clown paint and dismissed him outright because of it. It was a disguise that had served him well over the years; no one wanted to believe that children were dangerous and so, by extension, a man who dressed childishly was almost always universally dismissed.

He remembered the feeling of the pen against his cheek as the strange man with the shark teeth and crazy, passion-filled eyes had drawn the symbols onto him. He'd used a permanent marker and, at first, he'd been too scared to face the world. But the man had taken him by the hand, let him feel how strong his aura was and made him understand that if _he_ grew strong enough to pass the Hunter's Exam and get himself a licence, that he'd see him again. 

He'd kept his promise, and Hisoka had kept his marks.

The kid was still crying.

Glancing at the bull of a man he'd followed into the cemetery, he decided that the boy was a far more exciting prospect. He had something in his hand and, Hisoka noted with growing interest, the aura was coming from him. Could this kid be this world's Gon?

There was only one way to find out.

***

Zora clutched his doll to his chest when he heard the crack of a twig to his right, and huddled further in on himself, trying his best to blend into the trunk of the tree. It didn't work. The stranger kept on coming and soon enough he was looking up into the bright yellow eyes of...

"Are you a clown?" he asked, wiping away his tears as he tried to understand what he was seeing. He was certainly dressed like a clown, and he had the right makeup.

The man chuckled and bent down until he was on his level. His dad had done that too. When he was upset, he'd always crouched down and smiled at him... But his dad was gone now. The men behind the tree had killed him. He'd never see him smile again...

Hisoka reached out and caught the fresh tears that were starting to run down the boy’s cheek with his finger. "It's OK, kid," he said, knowing that it likely wasn't, but that it would be. In the end, it always was. 

Zora shook his head and sniffed. "No, it isn't," he sobbed. "My dad's dead. It's never going to be OK."

 _Ah, that explains the tears,_ Hisoka thought. _What do I say to that? What did I want to hear when Mum..._ "My dad's dead too. He died when I was eight. I lost my mum before that." He tucked his hand under the kid's chin and gently lifted it until he was looking at him again. "I promise you; it's going to be OK."

There was a burst of laughter from the other side of the tree, and the boy folded in on himself. 

"No," Zora whispered. "It's never going to be OK."

Hisoka narrowed his eyes. The boy's aura was stronger than all three of the men he was hiding from combined. Why was he so scared?

"Why won't it be OK?" he asked the child. "You're strong. You can control-"

"I'm a peasant!" Zora hissed. "I'm a peasant, and they killed my father because he was- Because he tried- He just wanted to be _good!_ He wanted to protect people and be kind! But the nobles didn't want him near them, so they killed him and so it's never going to be OK ever again!"

"I see," Hisoka replied. At least, he thought he did. He understood what it was like to feel powerless. There was a flash of white, and he looked down to see what the child was holding. "Can I see the doll?" he asked and held out his hand, not allowing for the possibility of a refusal.

Zora hesitated, but the stranger didn't look like he would steal it, and his father had always told him to trust himself more. "O- OK," he stammered and passed him over. "F- Father said that I could be strong, like him, if I just worked hard and was...kind..." He felt new tears falling down his cheeks. "But he's gone now. He trusted them. He said that they were _noble!_ But they're nothing but _liars_ and _cheats_ and-"

"Zora," Hisoka said, countering the child's anger with an equally calm tone. "I remember this doll. You showed it to me once before, in your future." The boy frowned. "You told me what it means to you; what it meant to him. You're going to be fine. No. You're going to be better than fine, Zora." _You're going to save my life._ "Your Father lived the best life he knew how and I know that you'll do the same. You're going to honour his name." _And grow so strong..._ "You're going to prove to the world what a _real_ Knight stands for and you're going to protect the people who can't protect themselves."

"I am?" Zora whispered, awestruck and unable to decide what he should say next.

"You are," Hisoka agreed, smiling as he turned the doll in his hands. It hadn't changed a bit.

"How do you know?" Zora asked. He wanted to believe him so badly.

Hisoka handed the child his doll back and rose to his feet. "Because," he said, narrowing his eyes as he set his sights on his prey. "One day, you'll save me, and it's my turn to return the favour." _And convince you that you want to fight._

"But how-" Zora began and gasped when the strange man shot towards the Knights behind the tree. He knew that the strange man's cry of, "JUSTICE!" would ring in his ears forever.


	4. The Day Hisoka's Father Died

Hisoka was shaking. He hadn't eaten in two days, but the moment the cellar door opened and he saw the silhouette of his father with that bottle in his hand, he knew that the chance of food wasn't worth it. It would take a few more days for him to become that desperate, and that was only if no rats showed up.

"BOY!"

The voice was so loud that it rattled his bones.

" _Freak_ , where are you? I need-"

He thought that he could smell his breath from here.

"It's your fault she left!"

He was already swaying. Maybe he wouldn't be able to get it up? It would only be a beating then, and perhaps he'd be able to find some food when he passed out?

"You hear me, boy? It's your _fault!_ Now you've got to make up for it! Time to make your Mamma proud and show her what a filthy _whore_ you can be!"

***

Zora looked around the tiny shack of a house that he'd appeared in and wondered, not for the first time, why this kept happening. Where would Hisoka be this time?

The smell of decay was palpable, and as he wove himself around the empty bottles that littered the floor, he noted the condensation on the windows and the wilting paper on the walls. Dust covered every unused surface, but - he felt his lip curl in disgust - the chair and television were almost brand new.

What kind of person could live like-

There was a scream. It was quickly cut off by a bubbling choking that Zora knew all too well. There was no point in running, whoever it was, was far beyond saving.

What he hadn't expected was the high-pitched and entirely manic laughter that followed.

***

Hisoka looked down at his hands as he gasped for breath. He hadn't meant to do it. He hadn't planned it. It had just...the knife had been there and when his father had tried to- to make him- he'd-

A huge hand fell on his shoulder, and he screamed. He tried to crawl away, but the hand grabbed his arm and lifted him up- He slashed with the knife, but another hand blocked it and the blood...

He heard the knife clatter to the floor beneath him and closed his eyes. His dad had always told him that he had friends. That they'd come for him if anything were to happen to him. He didn't even resist. Just turned his head away. He didn't want to see the monster that was going to kill him. He didn't want to know who was going to tear him-

Arms wrapped around him, holding him close to a warm, bare chest. He prepared himself for the inevitable loss of air, but when he felt a hand stroke at the back of his neck and heard a low, soothing voice saying, "Shh, it's OK, everything's going to be alright," his mind gave up. It was too much. How bad must he be if the monster was trying to comfort him?

***

"No, _no_ , I'm _not_ a monster," Zora groaned. He'd found the kid some clothes and taken him away from that stinking house, but apparently, no amount of words were going to persuade him that he wasn't there to eat him. Not that there would have been much to gorge on; there was barely any meat to the boy's bones, and he could have played the Xylophone on his ribs.

"But my father said," Hisoka insisted, in between overflowing mouthfuls of soba.

"I know. You told me. Repeatedly," Zora sighed. "Look. This isn't going to make any sense right now, I know, but," he paused, wondering if the boy was ready for the revelation, then realised that no matter what he chose, the choice was going to be correct. He'd already made it before because he was here now. Hisoka had already saved him in his future - or was it his past? Why did time-travel have to be so Goddamn _confusing?_ "I know I'm not a monster and that I'm not going to eat you because you..." he ran his hand through his hair and tugged at his mask. It melted away and, along with it, Hisoka's very own texture surprise. "Gave this to me. You saved my life, Hisoka. Apparently, I'm here to return the favour."

Hisoka's eyes widened. The shark's teeth were fading away. His lips were pale, but...the monster's mouth looked... "How?" he whispered. "I can't- I didn't- Father wouldn't let me-" He blinked and looked up into brilliant sapphire eyes. They were crinkled into a smile. "Magic's _real?_ "


	5. In the Clover Kingdom's Graveyard

Zora watched as the weird clown dragged the third man into the bushes and bit his tongue. He'd already asked if they were still breathing - twice - and the clown hadn't liked having to repeat himself. He'd seemed upset that they were still alive, but when he'd pointed out that he'd be in trouble for killing them, the clown had just rolled his eyes. He still hadn't told him his name.

"Kid," Hisoka said, securing the last 'Knight's' wrists with his bungee-gum. "I'm from a different dimension...in the future. I don't think I need to worry about what your police think about me."

"Pol-eece?" Zora asked. "What's a Pol-eece?"

Hisoka sighed. It was going to be a long night.

 _It's worth it. He's going to be_ **_so strong_ ** _. Remember that. He stuck it out with you; you can do it for him. He promised you a fight you'd never forget. You're going to make sure it happens!_

***

"Wait," Zora said, looking down at his doll and then up at the man who'd finally said that his name was Hisoka Morow. "You can make me look like this? You can make them-"

"I can't make 'them' do anything," Hisoka corrected. "That's up to you, and I know you'll be great at it because you already are. What _I_ can do for _you_ is make sure that you look the part. The power's already in you; I can feel your aura from here. Your dad was right, Zora; you're destined for great things." 

_What was it that Zora had prattled on about the last time they'd been in the tavern together? Oh, yeah, that was it; uppity Nobles and them not knowing their place._

"You're going to be strong enough to remind the Nobility what it _means_ to be Noble, and you're going to do it in _style_. You even get a cloak!"

"But," Zora whispered, not quite believing his ears. "But only the Knights get to wear..."

Hisoka grinned and held the mask out for his friend to inspect. It was already imbued with his texture surprise. "I know."


	6. The Day Hisoka's Father Died

"There," Zora said, leaning back to admire his handiwork. This should be enough to set the boy on the right path. "The star is there to remind you that even the Wizard King has to punch above his weight." He chuckled when Hisoka frowned into the mirror and tried to rub at his cheek. "And the tear is there to remind you what happens when you let yourself think that you're weak.  _ You _ beat your own monster, and you did it by yourself. Now is the time to go out there and help others beat theirs. Grow strong, little one. Grow strong and remember this. Remember what you can do when you fight."

Hisoka blinked. "But what about you? You're already strong. Aren't you going to stay?"

Zora's eyes softened as the memories flooded back. "No, kiddo, I can't. It's not that I don't want to," he added when Hisoka threatened to tear up again. "It's just... I'm not from around here and-"  _ I don't know why this is happening or even how I keep ending up with you, but I'm going to find out. _ "I'll be taken home in the end."

"But who's going to take me home?" Hisoka asked. "My father's dead and my mother's...she left."

It didn't matter how many times he heard it, Zora realised, it would never get easier. Looking around at the crowds milling on the street, he spotted a top hat and remembered what Hisoka had told him the last time they'd met. He wasn't a clown, but he  _ had _ spent time with the circus.

"That house wasn't ever your home," he told the boy and saw his brow wrinkle with curiosity. "But I know somewhere you'll fit right in!"


	7. The Reunion

"I _hate_ Elves," Zora groaned and leaned into the hands that were so expertly taking his shoulders apart, one seized muscle at a time. "Why do they always have to go after the stupid brat?"

"Is this the brat who is also the anti-magic bonehead you referred to earlier?" Hisoka asked, pressing into a particularly tense muscle in Zora's back. 

"Yeah," Zora moaned. "Yeah, that's the one..." _Fuck, why do you have to be so good at this?_ He shifted again and listened to the trickle of the water as it rippled around his body. The hot springs had been the best decision he'd made all day.

"At least yours didn't try to kill himself because an ant decided to play with its new toy instead of telling him the truth," Hisoka grumbled and kissed at the scratch he'd left at the base of Zora's neck.

"An...ant?" Zora gasped. "What...the...ohhh, that's too good. Why do you always have to tease?"

"Because you always make such _wonderful_ noises," Hisoka purred. "And yes, it was an ant...apparently. I was too busy chasing a spider about a fight to pay too much attention, but it nearly killed my apple, and another forced the Chairman to go nuclear. It seems that my focus may need to switch."

"You make no sense; you know that?"

"At least my world doesn't have _Elves_ ," Hisoka whispered and laughed delightedly when Zora punched him in the leg.

Turning in Hisoka's arms, Zora flashed him a wicked smile. They'd both watched each other grow. They'd helped each other through more hard times than either one of them cared to count and now, finally, he understood. He knew why the universe had decided to throw them together.

"And _mine_ doesn't have-" Hisoka grabbed his ass with both hands and ground against him. Zora had to force himself to remember what he wanted to say. "Suicidal apples."

"I'll have to take you to meet him the next time you come to visit," Hisoka purred. "He needs a good teacher. One who can remind him what letting go of his principles can cost him."

"And, Asta..." Zora gasped. "Asta needs to learn how - fuck, so good - how to let go. How to think with his head, not his heart. How to-"

"How to be a _bad guy_ ," Hisoka moaned, slapping Zora's ass as he ground their cock's together in the warm water. The fresh mountain air surrounded them and snow was settling on the ground. He was exactly where he wanted to be.

"How to be bad enough to win," Zora said and kissed him. This was the reason they would always find each other. They were home.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Christmas, to The Mad Novelist. It's been a hell of a year, but, good Sir, it's been better for knowing you.


End file.
